Thursday, January 31, 2019

This week was great- all was just smooth sailing which is always OK in my book. I met with a florist for our wedding and set up a date to do a walkthrough of the house!! It's getting so close to move-in (April) and I can't wait!

I am also proud because I cooked every night this week. I'm usually really bad at this but I planned well this time! I'm excited to keep it low key on Friday night and then on Saturday, my parents are hosting an engagement party for us which should be fun!

Sunday is the Superbowl? Will you be watching? Since my team (Steelers) isn't playing, I always watch for the great commercials. Can't wait to see what this year will bring!Wearing: The blue jacket you see in the photos above is the perfect spring jacket. Very 1960's in the cut/shape! This year, it is available in the prettiest pinkand also available in achic leopard print. Such a good price and can be styled so many different ways as you can see in the photos above! You can also recreate the monochromatic look in pink (like I did above with the coat and sweater) with this sweater tee and this sweater.

Drinking: This is a PSA for all of those who can buy wine at their local Costco. We can't buy wine here in PA, but we were in North Carolina visiting my sister and Costco had Veuve Clicquot for $5 less!!

Sale-ing: The J.McLaughlin sale is SO good. It's up to 70% off and all of the pieces that are on sale can be worn now.

Watching II: I finally listened to everyone on social media and watched Dirty John- the Bravo series. I didn't think it was great, to be honest, but I just cannot get over the story. Insane! It's about a woman who meets a guy online and her daughters suspect something isn't right but the woman is blinded by her love for him. Even though the acting was off, I think it's still worth the watch, I watched it in a few days since there is only 8 episodes!

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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

I am SO excited to finally be able to write this post! This is, in my opinion, the absolute first thing that you need to do once you get engaged: pick a date, book your ceremony site, and reception site.

Since I have been in the events industry, I totally knew that time was of the essence and therefore, I called the church a week after we got engaged (in hindsight, I should have contacted them the next morning, ha!) as well as started to look at venues in order to select which one was best for us. If you are newly engaged or about to get engaged, I cannot stress enough that this is truly something you should do immediately- even if you think it is ridiculously early, it's probably not and you can see why from my example below...

I really wanted a December 2019 wedding. However, I was bummed to find out that both the church and the venue I wanted were booked- entirely. Usually, you don't run into too many problems when planning a year out- especially in the smaller Pittsburgh market- it's when you have less than a year that it can sometimes get tricky. So, I figured December wouldn't be an issue since that was exactly one year from when we got engaged.

We had to reassess when we would want to get married. It had to be in 2020 because the venue we wanted was entirely booked every Saturday for 2019.

I had been looking as far out as June 2020 but shockingly the church was booked for the June date I had in mind! Back to the drawing board...

Our Date

The stars finally all aligned and we will be getting married late spring 2020! I am not going to share exact details just for privacy reasons (I'll share all of the specifics after our wedding!) but I am SO excited that I was eventually able to get the exact venue I wanted as well as get the exact time at the church that I wanted (I thought I was going to have to compromise and get the early church time which was not ideal).

If you are newly engaged and haven't booked anything yet, keep these things in mind as you are choosing at a date, ceremony site, and reception venue:

- Budget- duh! Also keep in mind the service charges and taxes- most of the time, the numbers do not include any of that and a service charge is anywhere between 20-25% plus the tax here in PA is 7%, these will also inflate your costs but you don't see them at first glance!
- Guest Count- this one is something that is pretty important because you don't want to book something that is too small for everyone to be seated comfortably and you don't want to book a venue that is too large for your count because then the room will look sparse. You also have to keep in mind space for a dance floor. The venue we will be having our wedding is on the smaller side so we have to keep our guest list low because we will need to fit our guests and a dance floor! This also changes if you want cocktail style instead of seated but we will be having seated!
- Accommodations- This is something else that you don't have to necessarily have figured out or have dictate your venue choice but if you will have a lot of out of town guests, you want to make sure that there are two hotels- one inexpensive option and one nicer option for your guests (within a reasonable distance). Luckily our venue is in downtown Pittsburgh so this isn't an issue for us but I know a lot of those who choose to have barn/farm weddings that are further from towns/cities, this can be tougher! You don't want to have a wedding where your guest list is 300 people- all needing rooms- and there is only one hotel within a decent distance from your venue!
- Ceremony Location- You'll want to make sure that if your ceremony location is not at your reception venue, that it is somewhat close!
- Ceremony Time- This was a really annoying part of the puzzle for us! Our church only offers two ceremony times: 1pm and 3pm. I thought I was going to have to choose the 1pm ceremony time (luckily, I didn't) but you might want to rethink your date if you can't get your preferable ceremony time- that is exactly what we did. That would mean your ceremony would end around 2pm and you'd either have a huge gap before you start your reception or you'd have to have a daytime wedding. Obviously, if either of those things are what you want, then that is great! But we really wanted a nighttime wedding so securing that later ceremony time was really key!
- Weather- Obviously, the weather will play a big part in your reasoning behind choosing a date. But if you are dreaming of a winter wedding but live somewhere really cold, you have to think about the possibility of a snowstorm prohibiting guests and vendors from traveling to get to your wedding. Same if you are having an outdoor/tented wedding and you choose a rainy season- you'll need to have a backup plan- just in case and it's important to see if the venue offers/ has a backup plan!
-Misc.- These are all little things but think of the things you want at your wedding. Some venues have to follow noise ordinances so if you think you want your wedding to go into the wee hours, you need to choose a venue that can accommodate this. For me, I wanted open flame taper candles. For insurance purposes, a lot of venues do not allow this (some don't allow open flames at all- aka no candles) and I just got super lucky that our venue will allow not only open flames but allow tapers without a hurricane!!

Our Location/Venue

We will be getting married in our family's Catholic church (where I got all of my sacraments) and then havig our reception at a private club in downtown Pittsburgh. This was exactly what I had in mind and I am so excited that it is starting to take shape and so thrilled that my fiancé loved what I was envisioning, too (since he is not from Pittsburgh)!

Now that the date, church, and venue are all set, I can finally chill a bit- especially since we will have a longer engagement! I'm happy to have plenty of time to enjoy being engaged. It's such a finite time period in life and I want to soak it all in and not take any moment for granted!

I think sometimes the urgency and stress of wedding planning can take away from the real reason that two people are coming together to celebrate their life long commitment to each other and it is important to me not to lose the real reason that all of this planning is happening! Looking forward to our life together is what is most important and exciting!

My parents are hosting our engagement party at their house this weekend so that will be lots of fun and I'll be sure to share a recap of that, too!

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

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Does anyone else become a hermit during these freezing January and February months?! No, just me?! January and February are usually pretty slow for me business-wise and same for socially... usually just two slow, cold months. Ick.

However, this year, it's been busy on both fronts, which is actually really great because January has flown by! February is totally booked for me, too, which is rare so I'm really thinking this winter is going to fly by.

However, that doesn't change the fact that with the frigid temps, comes less and less walks for me and Henry! I so enjoy our walks as it is a nice exercise for both of us but I always feel SO bad when we have to cut our walks short because it is just so cold!

So we really value the few and far between days where it is 'warm'. I put that in quotes because when I say 'warm', I mean anything above 32 degrees! We shot this outfit when we were having one of those days and it was actually around 50 degrees which was downright balmy for January in Pittsburgh!!

But it reminded me of how much I rely on athleisure in my day-to-day life. I often run errands in an outfit like you see above and just this past weekend, I was skiing and was so glad to have cute athleisure looks to wear under my ski gear as well as things to wear aprés skiing!

I had ordered a bunch of leggings and ended up only keeping two pairs. These subtly metallic leggings made the cut. I'm all about black when it comes to workout/athleisure pieces because it makes it so easy to just mix and match. While these are kind of a green metallic, they do look black and because of that, almost just as versatile as black!

Saturday, January 26, 2019

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Happy weekend! I hope you are all having fun and staying warm! It's a cold one here in Pittsburgh, but I'm headed to the mountains to go skiing. I am so excited because last year I didn't get to ski at all because the temperatures were just too frigid.

I'm hoping for a great day today and hopefully, it's not *too* cold. Even so, it will be fun to spend time with friends!

Scroll through the widget above to see the things I am loving from this week. I've been having a few glitches on the back end of Summer Wind, so bear with me as it is all sorted out!

Thursday, January 24, 2019

This week is going by so quickly because I was in Charlotte on Monday and have had plans every single night since! This weekend we are going skiing with good friends. Fingers crossed for good conditions but even if not, we will have so much fun together!

It's kind of crazy there is only one week of January left. As much as I don't want time to fly, in terms of winter months, January and February are the worst here in Pittsburgh. It's constantly cold, snow, and just all around miserable, so the closer we can inch towards March, the better (even though March isn't really great either, ha!).

This week we also officially set the date of our wedding! After the craziness of dates and church times and availability of venues, it is all SET and I am so relieved. In my opinion, in terms of wedding planning, that is the least fun part and the most annoying because you can't do much more until you have your date and ceremony and reception location. I'll elaborate more on this, but Pittsburgh brides, you need to JUMP on your church and venue because it is insane to me that things were already so booked 18-24 months out (24 months!!).

Wearing: I have been wearing this adorable Tweed Jacket non-stop! The shoulders are slightly pleated and the length is slightly cropped for a very tailored look. The texture is gorgeous and the frayed edges are very Chanel-esque.

Eating: Oh my goodness, we ate SO much food while I was visiting my sister in Charlotte. Every time we are down there, I eat the best food. Callie never steers us wrong! On this trip, we went to, Hello, Sailor, La Belle Helene, Essex Bar and Bistro, Superica, Jenni's ice cream, and Sunflour. I highly recommend any of these places if you are in Charlotte!

Reading: I was just sent the sweetest package from Penguin books with a nice note for my engagement. It was such a fun surprise and I LOVE getting sent books because sometimes they are books I might not have picked out myself and I end up loving them. One of the books I was sent is called The Art of Gathering. I'm really intrigued by this book because it is one of those books that I probably would not have selected for myself. After digging in for a few pages before bed the past two nights, I'm already loving it and think it would be so great for anyone to read. I think her tips about creating meaningful gatherings is huge and a lot of her information is backed up with some really interesting statistics. This is definitely something that makes me excited to read!

Listening: I found this cover of Into the Mystic done by one of my favorites, Allman Brothers! Into the Mystic is one of my all-time favorite songs and the Allman Brothers put such a different sound to it!

Loving: I'm new to the Yeti obsession, but I know so many have been huge Yeti fans for years- my parents included! They do not leave home without their Yeti's full of water, ha! But recently, I was sent this Yeti in a press package and I had actually had it on my Christmas list. I love how it looks and feels like an actual mug and less like a travel mug. It keeps my coffee so hot for so long and I love that you can toss it in the dishwasher. You can't fit it in the cupholder of your car, but I do have an area where it rests without an issue. Since it's wider and lower, it doesn't really threat to tip over.

Wanting:

Pittsburgh-ing: Do not walk, run to The Commoner (in the Kimpton Hotel Monaco) for their bloody Mary bar and the best coffee! I hadn't been in a while and had forgotten how delicious their brunch was!

Traveling: I'm headed to Seven Springs this weekend which is a ski resort about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. The skiing isn't amazing, but it's at least something! I'm looking forward to spending time with friends and skiing for the first time this winter!

Quoting: 'It's a beautiful thing to have lungs that allow you to breathe air and legs that allow you to climb mountains, and it's a shame that sometimes we don't realize that that's enough.' // See more of my favorites, here.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A lot of you have asked how we met so I thought I would share the story! We met on New Year's Eve 2016!

One of my best girlfriends and I didn't really want to do anything for New Year's. We had both recently broken up with guys we were dating and a lot of our friends were out of town. So, we decided to have a low-key night and stay at my friend's apartment with good food and good champagne!

One of my other girlfriends was planning on going to a party in the same apartment building and had told us about it. We were almost not going to go but decided it would be fun to be social leading up to the ball drop. Plus, we didn't have to go outside in the cold and deal with Ubers or anything like that!

So, we walked over to the apartment. Funny enough, there ended up being a lot of guys there who went to my high school! It ended up being fun since I knew more people than I thought!

I remember I spotted Andrew and I asked my girlfriend about him because I thought he was so cute. He was also apparently recently single and had played lacrosse in college with the guys from my high school. Such a small world!

I went up to him and I specifically remember us talking about what kind of music we liked. But other than that, I don't really remember what we chatted about. Midnight came and went and we all went home.

The photo above is the only photo I took that night! My friend Dani and I at midnight! It's so funny about this sequined top I was wearing. I had it in my closet from college (it's from Talbots) and about a year after Andrew and I started dating, he told me he remembered what I was wearing and was right! I had to go back to the photo to see that he was right.

I didn't really think anything of the night but I still thought he was cute. My girlfriend that had invited us to the NYE party ended up having a birthday party soon after. It was so much fun. They rented a big party bus and we went bar-hopping throughout the city.

I had come late from dinner with my family. So, I brought my sister with me. It turns out, Andrew was on the party bus. I actually ended up talking to Andrew all night long and after that the rest was history!

It's kind of funny the way things work out. I know it is SO insanely frustrating when people say 'don't go looking' or 'just let things happen' or whatever advice people in relationships give to single people. I would always roll my eyes or get SO frustrated. But it is kind of crazy because I never in a million years thought I would be meeting my future husband on New Year's Eve 2016!

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

How bright and refreshing is this collage?! Can you tell I am already craving spring?! Plus the dose of 'warm' weather we had in Charlotte really makes me crave less chunky sweaters and more pastels and florals!

Floral Shorts// This brand and style is one of my most favorite pairs of workout shorts and I am just in love with this floral print. So much fun for spring and this little sweatshirt tee (that's on sale) is so cute and would complete the cut workout look (now to choose the pink or blue...?!)

Striped Tee// This tee is so inexpensive and such a great closet basic.

Blue Glasses// My friend Aly has these glasses and I fell in love with them! They are an even prettier blue in person! I also love these which are about half price- and equally gorgeous!

Blue Crewneck Sweater// I just got this and I am obsessed. It's so simple and I'm loving the blue color. I've been wearing this non-stop!

Printed Scarf// These scarves are the best. I have SO many and they look just like Hermes but for under $50! Love this new print and colorway for spring!

Pajamas// These basically never leave my wishlist because they are my favorite pajamas and I want allll the sets! The 'short long' set has become my favorite style!Book// This one it on my 'to read' list! I have heard it is really good and an easy, quick read.

Olio e Osso Balm// I had this balm and lost it. I have missed it ever since and it is about time I replace it! It's so creamy and hydrating and gives such a natural but good amount of color! For those of you with Amazon Prime, it is also available there! My favorite color is berry.

Monday, January 21, 2019

Because this weekend is a holiday weekend, I wanted to share some pieces that I have been wearing that are on sale!

This is probably the last big sale day until President's Day weekend which is in mid-February so be sure to take advantage if you've been eyeing something. It will likely be out of stock by the next big sale weekend!

Friday, January 18, 2019

I did a splurge vs. save post back in November and it was one of the most popular posts of the year! Stats like that let me know that you all like the post so I have decided to do these posts more often! If there is an item you are looking for, let me know and I will find a 'save' version!

I've always been annoyed with a lot of splurge vs. save posts because often times, the 'save' items are really cheap and low quality from websites you probably haven't heard of. So for me, this is all about finding super similar items but the 'save' items are cheap or poor quality!

These items are all pieces that have been on my wish-list! Sometimes the splurge is worth it and sometimes the save just makes more sense! In my opinion, the splurge makes the most sense when it is something you will use or wear very frequently. It should be something of very high quality and classic design. And then you should save on items that are trendy or won't get much wear!

Shop the Post:

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Thursday, January 17, 2019

Wearing:This sweater has become my newest obsession that I wear so often. It's soft and stretchy. it fits really loose. I'm wearing a size small and it's big on me, but I like it that way. For a more fitted feel, size down. It's basically like a sweater version of a boyfriend sweatshirt but looks more put together. I'd like it in every color!

Eating: We made filet mignon the other night. I was so surprised at just how easy it was! This recipe is what we followed!

Reading: I want to read One Day in December! I have heard it's a quick and easy read but also very good. Have you read it?

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Sale-ing: Starting today, Tuckernuck is offering an extra 20% off the sale collection with discount code TREAT20. Items marked as "Final Sale" will not be eligible for return or exchange. This sale will go through Monday 1/21. I love when this type of sale happens because you can get things at such low prices! They had a sale like this in September and I ended up getting my fiancé a few things- Vineyard Vines chinos for just $25, so definitely check out the men's stuff, too! This amazing Vince cashmere sweater is included in the sale, as is this cabled cashmere sweater!

Watching: I have been hearing from so many on social media to watch 'You' on Netflix. This might be an uncommon opinion but I did not like it- yet I still finished it. I thought the episodes dragged on and the characters really annoyed me. I also could not get Dan Humphrey out of my mind the entire time I was watching! Have you watched it? Did you like it?

Listening: Have you all heard Mike Posner's newest song, Move On? I was a huge fan of Mike Posner when I was in college but had since forgotten. However, Move On is so catchy and inspiring- I love his approach to the music video- so real and so raw. It's a reminder that you can be a famous musician and still be faced with trials and tribulations. But, what matters is how you handle it and move on.

Recommending: My girlfriend and her fiance´sent us this gorgeous champagne bottle for our engagement. I have never seen such a thing and it was such a thoughtful gift. A ton of you messaged me on Instagram asking where it is from, and here it is!

Loving: I am utterly OBSESSED with this cardigan. It's so classic and stunning but casual enough for everyday wear!

Loving II: This is one of my favorite things in my closet- a relaxed-fit Shep Shirt in blue and white stripes. I wear it SO much and it is just so comfortable. It's now back in stock so snag it while you can! They also have it in a pale blue stripe which I also love so much!

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Wanting: Around this time of year I'm so torn between spring and winter! It's always a fun mix!

Traveling: Headed to Charlotte for the long weekend with my family to visit Callie!

Pittsburgh-ing: I was doing some wedding meetings and just had to share this stunning wallpaper I came across. I want this for my bathroom!

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

As I prepare to share more home content, I thought that this would be a fun and informative question to answer!

When I started looking for a home last year, I knew that whatever I ended up purchasing, it would not be a forever home.

Before I met my fiance, I had a personal goal to purchase a home in the suburbs and on a specific timeline. In fact, I almost bought a home in the 'burbs one year ago but just wasn't ready to give up the city life just yet so I promised myself I would only hold off one more year.

I finally felt ready to leave the city and craved more space in the latter half of 2018. Not only was I craving more space and the conveniences of suburban life (there is not a single grocery store in all of downtown, which is so annoying), but I was also looking for a good investment.

I grew up in an old home. Right now, I live in a historical landmark. I love the character that older homes have (and the quirks)! So I was really only looking at older homes. New construction close to the city (and in a good school district- for resale purposes) is hard to find. Somehow, though, I landed on the most perfect opportunity.

When I thought about it, a brand new home made more sense for me, too (at this time period in my life). I'm not handy at all, and I didn't want to pour a lot of money into an older home that would not end up being my forever home. So the brand-new home scenario just felt perfect. For the years that I live in the home, I will not have to do much in terms of maintenance.

I realize it's probably a bit backward to buy a home by myself when I knew I would most likely be getting engaged in the next few months, but it was really something I wanted to do for myself. I'm all about being independent- even when in a relationship. I also knew the home would have plenty of space for both my fiance and me when that day came (we don't live together).

This home will be a 'starter' home for me. I can only foresee being in the home 5-10 years.

One of the things that I didn't realize before starting my search is that there is such a difference in what you are looking for when you don't plan on the home being your forever home- and especially if I were to potentially use it as a rental property.

It was also eye-opening to learn that if I were to find a home that might seem like a 'good fit' but needs a lot of work/renovations, it sometimes doesn't make financial sense to put a lot of money into something because of the way the other homes in the neighborhood or school district are priced. I was looking at one home and everything I would have wanted to do to it would have priced my home (when I went to sell) 'too expensive' for the neighborhood.

Just to give you an example of a decision I am making for this current home: there are 3 bedrooms in my home. One is the master and then there are two smaller bedrooms with a Jack and Jill style bathroom. Personally, there is no need for me to have 3 bedrooms but for resale, it's better to have 3 bedrooms (and this can totally change dependant upon the area and market you are in). Because I don't need 3 bedrooms, I'm going to turn one of the bedrooms into my office, which will be so nice!

I really wanted to have a custom closet built in the 'office' (like in the gorgeous photo you see above). However, it doesn't make sense to do that because I will not be able to bring something like that with me to a future home. Also, it would have dramatically decreased the size of the bedroom which is unappealing for potential buyers. Plus, when I go to sell the home, I will have to turn it back into a bedroom because most people do not desire a 'closet office' as use for a bedroom! All things that would have never crossed my mind so it's been great to have so many knowledgeable people helping me to make smart decisions.

One of the things I'm going to let myself 'go crazy' on is the small powder room next to the kitchen. I'm planning to do wallpaper and a bunch of things I'd love to do elsewhere but figure I'll take it all out on the small powder room! Then I can either leave it as-is when I go to sell/rent or just tone it down a bit.

I will say it is so exciting but can also be a bit frustrating to not be able to do exactly what I would want because it is not my forever home, but it will be great for the next several years and I am so excited to move in!

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Leopard is certainly having a moment and I've never really considered it my cup of tea... until I saw this coat. The morning before I got engaged, my sister cousin and I went to get our nails done and afterward, we stopped into the Galleria. I saw this coat and immediately fell in love with it.

It's a piece that I wouldn't have gone for had I only viewed it online. In person, you can tell it's a high-quality coat and the 'fur' is so insanely soft. I also loved the cut of the coat. It's so simple and the cut reminds me of something from the 1960's.

I knew I would get a lot of wear out of it because I wear a lot of black and this is such a fun wear to break that up!

Right now this coat is on major sale so I had to do a full post on it. It runs true to size- if anything a little big. I got my usual size small but there is plenty of room to layer and wear heavy sweaters underneath!

This coat is now so special to me because it's the coat I got engaged in. I probably will save it forever!

More Leopard Pieces:

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